Blood Roses (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Blood Roses April Spisak Block, Francesca Lia Blood Roses Cotler/HarperCollins, 2008 [144p] Library ed. ISBN 978-0-06-076385-5 $16.89 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-076384-8 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 9–12 This sultry collection of nine short stories (all but one making their debut here) covers topics that will be immediately familiar to Block fans: passion, mystery, and romance, all delivered with unusual twists. Although each story stands alone, there are overlapping characters and settings that loosely bind the collection, allowing readers both firsthand insight into story protagonists and snapshots of the way others perceive the characters when they pop up elsewhere. For example, in “Giant,” the tortured Rachel Sorrow contemplates her sudden transformation into a metaphorical and/or physical giantess, even while she thinks of two of her best friends, Elodie and Sasha, who face their own demons in “Skin Art,” a complex story involving the indelible marks made by first love, and “My Mother the Vampire,” a haunting exploration into the ways in which many women seek to cheat the aging process. It is impossible to tell what is meant to be truth or dissemblance, imagination or reality in these stories, and this shaky positioning is the result of careful crafting: the hearts of much of Block’s writing resides between the lines. Her intense, lyrical writing style transforms these familiar YA motifs into individual stories that are riveting and memorable, and into an overall collection that invites rereading to explore the overlaps between protagonists and locations mentioned. While romance readers will certainly be an enthusiastic audience, the focus on changelings, otherworldly creatures, and fantastic possibilities make this volume an easy recommendation to fantasy fans as well. Copyright © 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois